It is well known that Eric Babolat’s tennis racket manufacturing company has been incredibly well-known as a result of the success of Rafael Nadal, who has become one of the most famous tennis players of recent years.
For the past five years, Nadal has been using this racket, with the only modification being the addition of additional weight over the years.
Characteristics of Rafael Nadal’s racket
Rafael Nadal’s tennis racket is a Babolat Pure Aero in the limited-edition ‘La Decima’, which commemorates his ten consecutive triumphs at Roland Garros. With a 100-square-inch stringbed and an unstrung weight of 300 grams, the AeroPro Drive is an advancement of the drive that Nadal has used throughout his career.
A robust frame with a continuous thickness (ranging between 23 and 26 mm) that provides significant thrust while maintaining complete control over the vehicle.
He requires a tiny grip, no.2 for his calibrated specimens (Babolat sends him packages of 6/8 frames four times a year), which he uses for his custom calibrated specimens. When he plays with the Babolat RPM Blast, he utilizes a black monofilament string with an octagonal section and a thick gauge of 1.35mm, which is normally at a tension of 25 kg and tied with the standard 4-knot method, which is with two pieces of thread. A “minus” label with a weight of 25.55 kg is applied to the frames; nevertheless, in Rome, he always requested the round number (kg 25.5). It is a type of string that is suitable for players in the third and fourth categories, provided that they replace them on a regular basis and are extremely careful with the tension. When it comes to elbow protection, Rafa’s 25 kg is a little too much for those who don’t have his large arm.
Rafa installs a Custom Damp at the bottom of the string grid, in the space between the two central verticals, which acts as a customizable damper for the plate’s sound waves. It is actually made up of two parts: the clearer center part can be removed or left in place depending on the amount of dampening desired.
Modifications to Nadal’s racquet
When Djokovic began to dominate, Nadal realized that his racket needed to be modified. This was the first time Nadal had made any changes to his equipment since 2004.
Another 2 grams were added to the frame in 2017, and Nadal has kept that weight norm to this day. The weight was added to the frame in the same spot, at the very top of the frame.
Between racquet upgrades, Nadal sought to move to a new model throughout the five-year period between modifications. In 2015, the Spaniard began the clay-court season using a prototype Pure Aero frame with an FSI drilling pattern, which he had designed himself and which he used to begin the season. Prior to the French Open, he switched back to his old racquet, which he had previously used in qualifying.
Life is like a game of tennis; you have to fight hard to earn every point, sometimes you win while sometimes you lose. It’s the fear of losing that inspires us to work hard, just like tennis.
I am a professional tennis player , so i decided to share my experience in my blogs here about the Racquets.